Wool-drying machine



4 sheets-sheen 1.

.'No Model.) l 8 f C. SGHREBLER. WOOL DRYING MAGHINE. No. 554,838. y Patented Feb. 18, 1896.

MTM-25555:,

M @www 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

@.QsGHRBBLER. WOOL DRYING MACHINE.

Patentedeb. 18, 18967.

f3 A` fx INVENTDR jWTN EEEEI,

-No Model.) '4 sheets-Shee 3.

' C. SGHREBLER.

WOOL DRYING MACHINE.

Patented Peb. 18, 1896.

NVENTDRI AN DREW BLRAHAM. PMOTu-LITMO.WA$N|NGTON. n.0

'No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

C. SGHRBBLER. WooL DQYING MAGHINE.

N0.'554,8s8. Patented Peb. 18, 1896.

WTNEEEEEH ltion on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

`tional view on the line l0 10 of Fig. 9.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SCHREBLER, OF LAWRENCE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRED HARTLEY, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

wooL-DRYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,838, dated February 18, 1896.

Application led January 3, 1895. Serial No. 533,735. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SCHREBLER, of Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wool-Drying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in machines for drying wool orother brous material; and it consists in the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described in the specication, clearly illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying four sheets of drawings, forming a part of this application, in which like characters indicate like parts wherever they occur.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 2, the casing of the machine being removed to show the arrangement of the aprons. Fig. 4 is a vertical sec- Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the endless aprons and the sprocket wheels and chain. Fig. 6 is a top plan viewV of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 lis a detail sectional view on the line 7 Z of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the apron supporting drums. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the crossrods and a novel form of sprocket-link having a roller on one end and a screw-threaded boss upon the other. Fig. l0 is a detail sec- Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the means for adjusting the tension of the carrying-aprons. Fig. l2 is a top plan view of Fig. l1.

In the drying of wool it is desirable that the process be carried on with as little heat as possible and that the wool be evenly dis-v tributed to the action of the current of air to prevent bunching. When bunches are formed either the interior of these bunches is not dried, or if sufcient heat is maintained to dry the interior of the bunches then the ber of the wool that is not bunched or packed is practically cooked, thus materially injuring the strength and texture thereof.

To dry wool to the best advantage it must be subjected to the action of a current of heated air in such a way that the air is compelled to sift through the wool instead of pushing it aside and bunching it, thus leaving bare spots on the apron, through which most of the heated air will pass instead of being sifted through the wool. The wool or other ber should be dried with as little heat as possible, and the air around the wool should lbe continually changed to prevent sweating. Ingmachines as at present constructed the hot-air pipes are placed between the aprons. This is an objection by reason of its creating more heat than is necessary and otherwise interferingwith the circulation of the air. The aprons, moreover, are heavy. Stationary rollers for supporting the aprons soon become clogged. The aprons bein gheavy sag of their own weight, and the parts required -to support them are in the way of the wool as it is delivered from the aprons and require more or less knock-off mechanism to be used at the ends of the machine to keep the wool from becoming clogged.

By my invention I am enabled to dry the wool or other ber by using only about onethird of the pipe-surface now used. These pipes are not arranged in the machine proper, but at any desired distance therefrom, and a blower is employed to conduct the heated air from said pipes to the machine and force it through the wool out of the machine at the top, the arrangement being as near as possible to the natural drying of wool were it exposed outdoors to the action of the atmosphere. The current of air is so directed in the machine and the aprons are so arranged to hold the wool that it cannot become bunched or pushed aside, the air being compelled to vsift through the wool, thus making it light and uffy.

A machine constructed in accordance with my invention avoids the disadvantages heretofore mentioned, can loe made at a comparatively small cost, and the parts are light and not liable to get out of repair.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, A represents my improved machine inclosed in a suitable casing or framework a. This casing is provided with windows a', through which the condition ofthe interior of the machine may IOO i N l be seen at anyT time. a2 represents an automatic feeding device consisting of a hopper ex, at the bottom of which is a horizontal feeding-apron c7. An inclined lifting-apron a8 is arranged to take the stock as it is delivered from the apron a7 and deliver it to the aprons B. A vibrating comb r is arranged in proximity to the lifting-apron a8 for evening the stock carried up by the lifting-apron, preventing bunches and undue quantities of material from being delivered to the aprons B. A fan or dofer r is employed to knock the material olf the lifting-aprons onto the aprons B.

a5 represents fines arranged to conduct a cu rrent of heated air from a blower (not shown) to the air-ports o 0',whcrebya current of heated air maybe forced through the wool carried bythe aprons and out through the opening at at the top. The aprons B are mounted one above the other upon drums l7 secured on shaftsf. These drums are olfset from one another, so that as the material leaves one apron it will iall upon the apron immediately below it.

o o are air-ports connected by the flues ai to the blower and extending a considerable distance between the upper and lower sides oi' the aprons B and arranged to direct the current ot' air between the upper and lower sides of the lower aprons. At the opposite end of the aprons from the openings o o are delieeting-plates o2. The air is ioreed through these openings along the apron and up through the same, and that portion of the air which goes to the opposite end of the apron strikes the deiiecting-plates and is also forced up through the apron, all as indicated by the arrows.

Guide-plates 7: are arranged to guide the material as it leaves an upper apron, so that it will fall properly upon the apron immediately below it. There is a similar guide-plate 7a under the doffer r.

a3 represents an openin g through which the wool or other material passes out of the machine.

rlhe wool enters the machine at the point indicated by the numeral l, passes along said apron, is delivered to the apron immediately below at the point indicated by the numeral 2, leaves this last-mentioned apron, and is delivered to the third apron at the point indicated by the numeral 3, and leaves the machine at the point indicated by the numeral 5. The number of aprons is not material, three being here shown.

a represents a cover or shield by which access may be obtained to the interior of the casing.

The aprons B are arranged in compara* tively close proximityto each other, the top of 011e apron traveling in the same direction as the bottom of the apron immediately above it. The aprons are arranged to hold the wool between them, and the air entering the air ports and being forced along in the direction of the arrows opposite to the direction of the traveling aprons breaks up the wool, sifts through it, and leaves the machine at the opening a6. The air being forced in the direction opposite to the travel of the aprons instead of across the aprons, and the wool being held by the aprons, there is no opportu nity for its being brushed aside or becoming bunched.

The shafts f upon which the drums and the sprocket-wheels are mounted are provided upon one end with spur-gears 7L that intermesh with each other whereby the drums are driven in unison. One of these shafts is provided upon the opposite end of the spurgears h with any suitable means for receiving motion from some convenient driving-shaft. (Not here shown, as it i'orms no part of my invention.) The drums f are composed oi' a series of disks fl secured on the shaft j". Upon these disks are secured by rivets or any suitable fastening means y' a covering y, the disks and the covering beingprovided at suitable intervals with longitudinal grooves spaced to correspond with rods lf upon the aprons. These rods b' enter the depressions or grooves in the drum sothat the covering of the apron rests upon the surface of the drum. rlhe ends of the shafts f' aremounted in adjustable bearings f3. (See Figs. 7, 1l. and l2.) These bearings f3 are mounted to slide upon a plate g secured by bolts g to the 1T ramework or casing Lof the machine. This plate g has an upwardlyprojecting lug f5 provided with a screw threaded aperture through which. an adjusting-screw f passes. The bearing f3 is secured to the plate g by means of bolts f8 passing down through a llangc f7 on said bearing andinto a slot ff in the plate g. These bolts are provided with heads fx, which are engaged by lips g3 on the plate y, whereby the bolts are prevented from being withdrawn. The set-screws f( are arranged between thc shafts f' and are designed to force the shafts away from and toward each other for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the chains. NVhcn it is desired to adjust the tension of the chains the nuts g" in the bolts f8 are loosened, the set-screw turned until the desired tension is established, then the nuts are tightened upon the bolts f8, and the bearings f secured in such position.

The aprons B are composed of a covering b2, preferably of woven wire or any perforated material, secured upon rodsb by anysuitable fastening means b3. These rods are secured at their ends in sprocket-chains b. Antifriction-rollers d are mounted upon the sprocketchains and arranged to travel in an angular shaped track d to support the apron and at the same time prevent lateral play thereof. The rods b' are preferably hollow and provided at their ends with internal screwthreads. The links-of the sprocket-chain l) to which the rods b are attached are constructed as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The link has the usual opening for the spur of the sproeket-wheel, and is provided with a eap- ICO IIO

piece bs. Integral with one side of said link there is an exterior screw-threaded stud b4 arranged to be engaged by the screw-threads on the rod U. Integral with the other side of said link there is a trunnion b5 on which an antifriction-roller h6 is mounted and retained by a pin o7. An inspection of Fig. l0 will show the construction and arrangement of these parts and also the arrangement of the track d, where the bottom d of said track serves to support said rollers and said apron, and the sides d2 of said track prevent lateral play thereof, the track being secured by any suitable means to the casing a. As the apron between the drums is supported by the rollers h6 there is no obstruction to the passage of the air. Moreover, an apron so'constructed is very light, it cannot sag, and there are no parts to become clogged.

Attention is particularly called to the preferred form of covering for the apron-to wit, wire-netting-and to the several elements of the apron and the way the aprons are arranged with respect to each other, and also to the manner in which the air is circulated. By my improved construction I am enabled to obtain an apron that is very light and at the same time rigid, and by the construction and arrangement of the several lparts of the machine I am enabled to dry wool thoroughly at a comparatively low temperature by utilizing a comparatively small amount of pipesurface for heating. The advantages of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without further description.

Attention is called to the sprocket-chains, the manner of connecting the apron therewith and the adjustable bearings forV the shafts. By this arrangement any desired tension can be placed upon the chains without putting any strain upon the covering of the apron, the said covering being secured to the rods or to the links, or both, by any desired fastening means. Since this covering has very little weight to support-that of the superimposed wool-it can be made very light for the reason that it is subjected to no strain. Moreover, since this covering and the weight of the wool together are very light, the structure of the entire apron may be made light owin g to the novel arrangement of the parts whereby the strain is taken off from the covering of the apron and carried by the chains.

Guards h2o are arranged on the top of each apron and at each side thereof. These guards extend lengthwise of the machine for the distance occupied by the apron. They are attached in any desired way to the framework of the machine, and are arranged to extend out beyond the sprocket-chains to the edge of the covering b2, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The edges of these guards are arranged to just clear the aprons. Where these guards are arranged between two aprons they extend from the edgeof one to the edge of the other apron, immediately above. By this construction the wool passing through the machine is kept away from the sprocket-chain.

In machines as at present constructed it is necessarythat the aprons be thoroughly clean between the wools of different colors; otherwise each succeeding color of wool is found to have picked up more or less of the odds and ends of the wool previously run through the machine, thus rendering it practically valueless, especially in the finer grades. I iind that my improved guards completely remove this difficulty. The wool is kept away from the chains, is carried through the machine, and entirely cleared from the apron at the delivery end.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a-iiber-drying machine, in combination, an automatic feeding device, a plurality of perforated endless aprons placed one below the other, offset-drums upon which said aprons are mounted, the contiguous sides of the several aprons being arranged to travel in unison with each other and hold the material between them, guide-plates arranged in `front of and below certain of the said drums to guide the material to a lower apron, airports at one end of said aprons, deflectingplates between and at the opposite end of said aprons from said air-ports, means for imparting motion to said feeding device and said aprons, and means for forcing a current of air through said ports lengthwise of and opposite to the direction Aof travel of and up through said aprons and the material carried by them, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a fiber-drying machine in combination a plurality of perforated endless aprons, offset drums upon which said aprons are mounted provided with longitudinal depressions upon their peripheries, said aprons comprising in their construction a covering, driving-chains, rods connected at their ends to said chains and to which said covering is attached, said longitudinal grooves or depressions being arranged to engage said rods in order to let the covering rest upon the periphery of the drum, 'and means for driving said drums and aprons, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a fiber-drying machine in combination shafts mounted in adjustable bearings, a plurality of offset-drums mounted upon said shafts and provided with grooves in their peripheries, a plurality of endless aprons mounted upon said drums, said aprons comprising in their construction suitable carrying-chains connected by rods, and a cover- IOO IIO

IZO

ing secured to srl-id rods, said rods being m'- name to this spoeieation, in the presence of ranged to lie in said longitudinal grooves two su serbing Witnesses, this 22d day of during their passage mound the drum n 0r- December, A. D. 1894.

der to let the covering rest upon the periph- CHARLES SCIIREBLER. 5 ery of said drums, substantially :Ls and for Ttnessesz the purpose set folth. N. R. VASI-IBURNE,

In testimony whereof I have signed my E. BATCIIELDER. 

